Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

24 Getting ready for online study 
quiet where they will not be uninterrupted if they want to think 
deeply. If you are an 18-year-old about to start university studies 
for the frst time, you might fnd it challenging if you have young-
er siblings in the house. University study involves more thinking 
and analysis than you have ever done in high school or at A-level. 
Indeed, many new university students are somewhat surprised at 
the amount of time they are left on their own by their lecturers, 
just to think. If you found it tough with siblings at home when 
doing A-levels, you may well fnd university study even harder in 
such a situation. Indeed, when I spoke with students about the 
sudden change from campus study to online learning during the 
Coronavirus pandemic, they often complained about siblings. 
“Tey just don’t understand what we have to go through”, said one 
student to me. “I love them to bits, but they are really annoying 
when I am trying to study”. 
Te second factor to consider about the location for your studying 
is how social you can be. Students learn from each other. Tey 
swap ideas and exchange information of all kinds. Being alone at 
home will reduce your ability to beneft from the social aspect of 
study. After high school, you may be one of only a couple of your 
friends who have stayed at home. Te rest may have gone of to 
a campus university or taken a “gap year” travelling. If several re-
main at home, learning at a distance, then you can carry on meet-
ing them socially. However, you might not wish to be isolated. 
Hence, setting up a shared house could be an advantage, apart 
from the apparent cost issue. Even so, it is worthwhile thinking 
about the social side of studying at a distance. You will beneft 
from chatting with other students – even if they are doing difer-
ent courses. 
If you are going to a traditional university but will be doing some 
form of hybrid learning, then you will not need to worry about 
the considerations as to where to study. Tat will have been de-
cided for you by the university. It’s only if you are staying at home, 
or studying at a distance, you should really think carefully about 
where you should study. Ultimately, you need a place where you 

---